Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville moved into a 1m14.5s lead in the World Rally Championship Croatia after multiple competitors suffered punctures on a rock-strewn stage.
Neuville was one of only three Rally1 drivers to avoid a puncture in stage 14 and said the car "from the beginning was feeling better" as he improved setup across the event; the leading group then completed the remaining stages puncture-free, leaving Hyundai's Hayden Paddon fourth.
Toyota driver Sami Pajari lost more than two minutes changing a wheel and fell from the lead to third, while Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta nursed a front-left puncture to finish second.
Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux retired after his i20 N struck a telegraph pole, and Fourmaux called the mistake "a shame." M-Sport Ford driver Josh McErlean also faced drama, extinguishing a cockpit fire and later requiring assistance with an engine problem.
This report is based on information originally published by Motorsport.
Read the full article at Motorsport.
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